Headaches and Heartaches
by Coldpaws
Summary: 2007 Movieverse: Several years after Mission City, the Lennox family decides to expand. Ironhide and the other Autobots experience the trials and tribulations of human pregnancy. Chars: Will/Sarah, Annabelle, Ironhide, various others Romance/Fluff
1. Prologue

Summary: Several years have passed since the battle at Mission City, and the Lennox family decides to expand by one member. Ironhide is less than thrilled.

Chars/Pairings: Will Lennox/Sarah Lennox, Annabelle Lennox, Ironhide, various others

* * *

**Headaches and Heartaches**

**Prologue**

_"Little children, headache; big children, heartache." -Italian Proverb_

"Goodnight, Annabella."

"Night night." Will bent down to kiss his daughter on the forehead, smoothing out the covers one last time before leaving the room and closing the door quietly. He shuffled down the hall, the stairs, joining his wife in the living room.

"That took a while." Sarah remarked from a pile of blankets on the couch.

"She wanted more than one story." Will surreptitiously lifted up the pile of covers and slipped in next to his wife.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked him a few moments after he settled in.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Just tell me."

"Nothing."

They sat on the couch quietly for a few moments. Sarah looked into Will's eyes calmly, not forceful or accusatory, and her hand found his in their laps.

"They just grow up so fast!" Will sighed despondently, "And…even though I've mostly been home the last few years…I feel like our little girl will be grown up and gone without me hardly noticing." Sarah smiled at him, kissed his cheek, squeezed his hand.

"You wish you'd been here when she was little."

"Of course!"

"William Lennox, I love you so much sometimes." She kissed him again, on his lips, and they cuddled on the couch for a few moments.

"You know, we're not that old." Sarah said quietly, a little breathlessly. Will looked at her pointedly. "Annabelle'll be in school this fall, and with your new position nearby…"

"Really?" The corners of his mouth twitch.

"Yeah." This time the grin split his faced, and he attacked her face and neck with that same smile.

* * *

A/N: This here's the start of a fic I began...too long ago to mention. While I generally dislike posting fic before it's completed, this has been sitting partially completed for way too long and I also hate to write something and then never share it. I've recently dug it up from the grave, and now that I have it entirely planned I think the probability of me competing it is very high.


	2. I

AN: I just wanted to thank **Kaekokat** for your kind review, and **Heartless-Jazz** for adding it to your alerts list. I know the last chap was just a teaser, so I hope you also enjoy this. Here you go!

* * *

**I**

_Love is all fun and games until someone loses an eye or gets pregnant. ~ Jim Cole_

Ironhide sat patiently in the grocery store parking lot. The sun beat down with its usual Nevada intensity, and with the lull in activity the past few years, spending time soaking up solar energy had become a common activity for the mech. Of course, Ironhide could do little else waiting for Sarah to finish her chores.

Finally, Ironhide sensed Sarah coming out the door and heard the cart rattling near. He resisted firing up his engine. Instead, he shifted vaguely on his tires, knowing Sarah would take the hint and hurry loading the groceries into his backseat.

Sarah climbed in his front, buckled herself in, glanced at the backseat to check on the groceries, and finally, _finally_, inserted the key into the ignition. Ironhide gunned his engine, just for the hell of it, pulled out of the parking space, the lot, and roared down the freeway. Surprisingly, Sarah did not protest.

It was at this moment in time Ironhide began to get the inkling that something was not quite right. He noticed that her normally dry hands were sweaty on his steering wheel, and that she seemed pale. She stared out the window, eyes unfocused, and her fingers tapped quickly and distractedly on his steering wheel.

"What is wrong?" Even after nearly 5 years on Earth, Ironhide rarely bothered with human pleasantries.

Sarah jumped a little, coming back to herself. "Nothing."

They drove in silence for a few moments down the nearly empty interstate. Sarah went back to twitching her fingers on his interior. "I don't believe you." Ironhide rumbled.

"Ironhide…" Sarah drew out the name as much as possible in a breathy huff. "I just want to get back to the house, ok?"

Ironhide remained silent for the remainder of the ride home. He still didn't believe her, but that's what they'd created babbling offspring and spouses for.

They pulled up to the Lennox home, where Sarah quickly unloaded the groceries. Ironhide transformed and stood up, 'stretching' out his limbs to test his joints. He walked over to the side of the house and sat down within viewing and scanning distance of the kitchen. Ironhide watched as Sarah unpacked the food, folded up the grocery bags, and carried off a stack of toiletries out of the room. His scanners tracked her up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bathroom, where against his better judgment he cut them off.

Ironhide huffed a sigh out of his vents, absently scanning the property for undesirable animals in the absence of actual threats.

Sarah came out of the bathroom beeming, coming out into the hallway and noticing Ironhide sitting outside the window.

"Hey Ironhide?" She said once she'd gotten closer.

"Yes?" Ironhide noticed her change in mood. _Humans…their emotions change at the flip of a switch._

"Do you think you can pick Will up early today? I can go get Annabelle from her friend's house."

Ironhide thought on this for a moment. He did not like the idea of leaving both of the Lennox females unguarded. Allowing Annabelle to play at a friend's house without a hulking black Topkick keeping watch had taken some convincing on the Lennox's part, let alone abandoning _both_ of them to pick up Will from the distant military base. Sarah preempted any protests, however.

"Don't get that look on your face. Bella and I will survive for the two hours or less it'll take to pick up Will. So unless you have some other reason not to…?" At this she raised an eyebrow, gazing into his optics fiercely.

"I will leave to retrieve Will immediately, if you wish."

Sarah smiled and clapped her hands together, "Great! I'll see you two in a couple of hours then." She blew a kiss out the window, then headed off into the house.

An hour and a half later Ironhide slowly pulled up to the porch of the Lennox house, where Sarah waited for his and Will's return.

"Well, why'd you want me home in such a rush today?" Will asked playfully as they hugged.

Sarah smiled at him conspiratorially, "Hmmm…" She played with his collar.

"Oh, come on." Will grabbed her wrists playfully, "What?"

"After dinner," she said, breaking free and running into the house. Will rolled his eyes, and when he noticed Ironhide looking at him questioningly, shrugged.

Ironhide watched lazily as the Lennox family went through their evening routine. Annabelle insisted on taking the seat across from the window, Will finished setting out the silverware, and Sarah scooped portions of spaghetti for the three of them. They all sat down to eat, and then Annabelle proceeded to tell the whole family, but most importantly Ironhide, about her very good tea party with her friend.

But after dinner the routine was broken.

"Bella, why don't you go play up in your room for a few minutes, ok?" Sarah asked after Annabelle had carefully placed her dish in the sink. That was odd.

"Ok! Hide, let's go!" Annabelle bounded around the corner, peaking through the window to see if he was following. Grudgingly Ironhide began to relocate to the other side of the house, but Sarah's voice stopped him.

"Ironhide will go back in a couple minutes, ok baby?" Sarah called through the house. That was odder. Now Ironhide's curiosity was peaked. Annabelle frowned a moment, but he shooed her in the direction of her room and she obeyed.

A moment later Sarah came out onto the porch, followed by Will. She was wringing her hands together. _Now I'll find out what's really going on_, Ironhide thought.

"Ok, I think I speak for both myself and Hide when I say you've got our curiosity up. What's up?" Will said, sitting on the railing.

Sarah stood facing him and Ironhide. She seemed to gather herself together, briefly, before half shouting half whispering. "I'm pregnant!"

Will jumped up and hugged her, picking her up and twirling her around. They both laughed. Ironhide was confused.

"And?" He asked. Will set his wife down, looked at the expression on Ironhide's face, and burst out laughing again.

"I think the news was kind of lost on him, honey."

"I'm going to have a baby!" She clasped her hands and smiled at him expectantly.

"You already have a baby." Ironhide protested. Will laughed at him. Ironhide did not find this so amusing.

"Annabelle's not a baby anymore! And anyways, well, we're going to have another baby." She explained a little more patiently. "About 9 months from now."

Ironhide thought back to when he'd first arrived at the Lennox household, of the small, loud, messy thing that had eventually turned into the more recognizable Annabelle Lennox. _Goodbye peace and quiet._


	3. II

AN: A big thanks to **Elita One**, **blood shifter**, and **CheapChristmasTrash** for your reviews of last chapter, along with of course **the laughing hermit**, **Tawny Kat**, **Shadowhawk7100**, and **Misao-CG** who also added me to your alerts! I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of your reviews personally so far, real life has been a bit hectic. But hopefully I'll be able to PM you all soon.

I especially want to thank **Tai Prime** for adding this story to their favorites! I know that this is in the early stages, so I hope it holds up to that standard and you continue to enjoy it.

Enjoy!

* * *

**II**

_After all, what is your host's purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they'd have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi. ~ P.J. O'Rourke_

Ironhide sat parked in Topkick form in the driveway of the Lennox house. In part, he kept his scanners trained on and around the little girl hula-hooping in the summer grasses on his one side, but he also kept some of his attention keyed to the kitchen just inside the porch on his other. He was listening in on a curious argument.

"Will, _you_ have to call them and invite them over." Sarah shoved the cordless phone into his chest. "I already invited my parents."

"Can't we just tell them over the phone? Getting them all in a room together generally doesn't end well." Will groused, frowning at the phone.

Sarah sighed. "That's why we're doing everyone at once. They won't have to argue over anything if there are plenty of other folks around to distract them. Should I invite the Fannings?" Ironhide heard her flipping through the address book.

"Who?" Will agonizingly slowly punched the digits of his parent's phone number into the phone's keypad.

"Neighbors. Their son babysat a couple times? I'll add them to the list." She scribbled down the name and number to a growing list of invitees.

"Hey Mom, how are you two doing? Uh huh, yeah…Ok. Well, Sarah and I have some great news to tell you, yeah Dad too, uh huh, and we wanted to know if you could come down for a 4th of July barbeque? Ok? Alright, we'll see you in a few days then. Love you Mom." The phone clicked and Will let out a sigh. He picked up the invite list.

"We're gonna need a lot of meat for this barbeque."

And so Ironhide found himself carting large chests of meat, ice, barbeque sauce, fireworks, and other necessities from town to the Lennox's for the next 4 days. _If any of this meat leaks on my interior…_

"After this is over, you owe me a wash." Ironhide groused to Will in his cab. Will chuckled.

"Yeah yeah. Summer dust getting to you?"

"I am thinking the Autobots should have chosen a wetter climate for our base after all."

"Yeah, yeah. When you're sick of perpetual mud, don't come rolling back to us. We'll be enjoying the sunshine, thank you."

They pulled up in front of the house, where Sarah, Annabelle, and Bobby Epps were playing with some sparklers. Will hopped out of the cab.

"Time to get to work ladies! Only a couple hours before the crowd starts showing up."

The barbeque was in full swing when they decided to make their announcement. Will stood on a chair, shouting, "Attention! 'Scuse me!" The murmur of the crowd died down. _Finally_, thought Ironhide as several children left their play in his bed to rejoin their parents. _A wash and a wax, for those greasy fingers_.

"Hey everybody, how's the party?" The crowd gave a loud holler, and a couple whistles. "Great! Well, I have something to confess. While celebrating our country's independence cannot be downplayed, it was not the only reason my wife and I decided to throw this shindig." Now the crowd was deathly silent. "We're pregnant!" _Wait, what? They're both pregnant?_ But before Ironhide could follow that horrifying thought to it's logical conclusion, the crowd let out an even greater cheer than before and surged towards the porch.

Through of the sea of congratulating friends and neighbors, one Bobby Epps pushed his way in to clap a hand on his friend's back. He then turned and gave a more gentle embrace to Sarah.

"Congratulations! Couldn't let me in on this little shock before now? How long you been keeping this a secret, huh?" He asked mock accusingly.

"I'm only about 7 weeks along, Bobby." Sarah replied blushing.

"Then I suppose I'll have to forgive you." He then moved off a little ways to make room for other revelers.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee had stealthily rolled up beside Ironhide. '_Congratulations'_ he commed cheekily, playing some incredibly annoying song out of his radio.

"_Sugar Baby Love…Sugar baby love!"_

'_Why the frag are you congratulating me?'_

'_It's customary to congratulate a family when they have a baby' _Ironhide didn't have a response to that.

'_If you know what's best for you, you'll turn off that infernal music.' _

Bumblebee ignored him, instead adding insult to injury with another barb. '_So, when were you going to tell Ratchet?'_ Ironhide's processor went blank with horror.

"_Yes all lovers make, make the same mistakes!"_


	4. III

AN: Wow, the last chapter had a lots of reader activity. Once again, I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of your reviews personally so far, but as you can tell from the severely delayed chapter real life has been quite busy. Hopefully I'll be able to PM you all soon, and I hope the update makes up the delay to all you faithful readers.

I would again like to thank **Elita One** and **CheapChristmasTrash** for their continued reviews and support, anonymous for its kind review, and **Anne Ominous** and **Blood Shifter2** for adding this story to their alerts. And I would especially like to thank **Yami-Yugi3**, **TFSTARFIRE**, **X-Brawn**, and **FRAZZY** for adding this story to their favorites!

Warning: descriptions of vomiting follow. If that terribly sets you off, you can skip to the divider in the middle of the story.

* * *

**III**

_Seasickness: at first you are so sick you are afraid you will die, and then you are so sick you are afraid you won't die. ~ _Mark Twain

Will's eyes shot open. He lay still. He saw bright pinpricks of light, stars surrounded by a courtesy curtain, wafting in the warm updrafts of a desert night. A moment passed, and another, and he felt himself relax in the warm, dry air of the bedroom, the wind rustling in the sagebrush outside the window. He gave a sigh, rolled over and flung out an arm for his wife…only to discover her side of the bed empty.

Now as his eyes once again opened to the pitch black room, he actually sat up, blood rushing through his ears, before reminding himself it was probably something inconsequential. She got up to get a drink of water, to go to the bathroom. Maybe she stopped in Annabelle's room a moment to check on her.

He was lying on his back staring at the ceiling telling himself these things when he heard a thud down the hall.

Now he threw his legs over the edge of the bed as quickly as possible, feet shuffling swiftly and quietly through the bedroom and down the hall.

"Heugh!" Someone was clearly retching their guts out in the bathroom. "Ugh…"

Will flicked the light on, squinting blearily at his wife bent over the toilet boil, resting her forehead on the cool porcelain. He trotted over to squat down next to her and rest a hand on her shoulder, rubbing gently.

"Hey, you done now?" He asked quietly.

"For now, I think." She wobbled upright and over to the sink and mirror. Will flushed the toilet before standing up himself and watching her reflection intently as it splashed water in her mouth and on her face. She was very pale in the mirror.

"C'mon, lets get you back to bed," he said as he took her arm and led her out of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," she said, raspy, "I tried not to wake you up with that big meeting tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. Do you think you can drink some water?" He gestured to a glass on the nightstand. Sarah nodded as she sat down on the bed. He passed her the glass, and stood watching quietly as she tentatively sipped the lukewarm water down. He watched as she closed her eyes and held out the glass blindly for him to take from her, nearly as full as before she'd started. She rubbed her face once her hands were free.

"Nngg," She groaned dully.

"Hey," Will said quietly. Gently, he sat down on the bed next to her and grabbed her hands. When she opened her eyes to look at him in the gloom, he leaned forward and tenderly pressed his lips to her cheek. He felt her face smile weakly.

"Let's get some sleep, ok?" He stood up again, allowing her to lie down on the bed properly. They gazed at each other a moment before he went back to his own side to climb in next to her, pulling up the sheet.

Sarah reached behind her to grab Will's hand under the cover, then squeezed it slowly, holding it there a moment. Then she pulled her hand back and settled in with the pillow. Will watched her back rise and fall in the dim light, listening as her breaths slowed to sleep, then sighed and closed his own eyes.

##################################

Sergeant Major William Lennox fidgeted in his monkey suit. No matter how many times he wore his dress uniform, no matter how many times Sarah told him how sharp he looked in it, he didn't think he would ever grow tolerant of it, let alone used to it. He'd reluctantly pulled it on that morning because of a high level meeting on world alliances working with the Autobots to increase planet-wide security from Decepticon threats.

Of course, instead of mentally reviewing the U.S. military's position on related issues, or even watching the road in order to drive, Will was fretting about his three month pregnant wife.

"Stop wiggling." Will jumped, startled out of his thoughts by Ironhide's gravelly voice. They drove in silence for a few minutes. But with no need to focus on driving, Will's mind inevitably began to drift again, and as he brooded he once again fussed with his uniform absently.

"Stop squirming already!" Ironhide commanded a little more authoritatively. Will grimaced and gripped the wheel tightly with both hands. After several weeks of interrupted sleep and continual worry, he had little patience left to deal with the often socially rough bot whom he happened to be riding in. So, he said nothing in reply.

Of course, this did not prevent said bot from becoming curious at the Sergeant's unusual behavior.

"What is wrong with you? I leave for two weeks and you turn into junkheap," Ironhide said disdainfully, though Will knew he was concerned or he would not have said anything. Will relaxed his grip on the steering wheel to more tolerable levels.

"This whole…pregnancy thing has me wound up," he offered. Ironhide didn't buy it.

"You were static with joy for the first couple of months, and now I can clearly tell you're overclocked," his deep voice paused for a moment, perhaps waiting for him to say something. "A junkheap" he ended decisively. Will sighed mentally and gave in.

"I think you mean 'ecstatic'…and you're right, things have changed a bit since not too long before you left." Will rubbed his thumb on the steering wheel, staring at it intently. "Sarah's been getting morning sickness real bad, and-"

"She is ill?" Ironhide cut in.

"Not exactly. Morning sickness is, well, a side effect of being pregnant. It means she get really nauseous and throws up, especially in the morning…though as I've discovered, the nausea can occur any time of day. She hasn't been eating or sleeping well because of it."

"Can your medics not treat this sickness?"

"There are treatments, but so far none of the tricks the doctor has suggested have worked, and Sarah's reluctant to take medication while pregnant unless absolutely necessary." Ironhide paused after this answer.

"Then you can do nothing." This was not a question. The interior of the truck cab which had previously been mildly warm now seemed stifling, and under his suit he felt himself sweat and watched as his slick hands slid along the steering wheel.

"No."

Will could practically hear Ironhide's processors grinding over that information.

Personally, Will was worried sick over his wife, even with her platitudes that she was coping fine and the doctor's reassurances that this was not unusual. Will had seen the tense expression on the doctor's face when they'd described the failure of the most recent attempt to quell Sarah's nausea. It didn't take a medical expert to look at his pale, tired wife to know that she was not doing well.

Ironhide's voice broke him out of his thoughts yet again. "She was pregnant before, with Annabelle. And she had morning sickness then as well." He spoke to Will in the tone of voice he often used to ponder on human stupidity.

"I was deployed overseas for all of it, but she probably did," he nearly choked out. He did not like pondering his wife suffering through her first pregnancy alone.

"My understanding is that Annabelle, confounding creature, is a perfectly healthy example of human progeny. I'm sure that your wife will also commendably gestate this offspring. If she survived it once, and she will survive it again," Ironhide said definitively.

Will wasn't sure how to respond to this unusual complement; unusual its delivery and subject matter, sure, but also in its deliverer. So he thought quietly on what Ironhide had reasoned out, and though the part of him that wanted to protect his family from all woes resisted, he quickly came to the same conclusions Ironhide had. Of course, the part of him that loved and respected his wife swelled with pride at her fortitude, and easily accepted Ironhide's declaration as truth.

They approached the desert base of the Autobots based in the U.S., and once they were inside the compound and close enough to the buildings for it to be a reasonable walk on human legs, Ironhide pulled to a stop. Will climbed down from the cab slowly, and left his hand on the door once he was down. He paused there awkwardly.

"Thanks, 'Hide." He finally said, before closing the door and patting it affectionately. Ironhide grumbled his engine at him.

"When you finish with those stiff in the servos politicos you know where to find me," the truck said before rolling off steadily to the firing range.

Will shook his head, smiled, then turned and walked into the building.


	5. IV

Wow, has it really been 5 months since I updated this thing? Man... For those of you who remember that far back, rest assured I do plan to finish this, even if I have to pull my own teeth to do so. I apologize for the wait! But, this chapter is about double the length of previous ones, so I hope that makes up a little. Once again, thanks for all your kind reviews.  


* * *

**IV.**

"_It was curious, doubtless even illogical, that the thought of the coming child should make so much difference. But he granted the difference. He had known despair, but now he knew hope."_ – Ish from Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart

Ironhide strode through the doorway of the earth base medical bay. When he didn't feel Ironhide move anywhere further into the room after a few moments of waiting, Ratchet mentally rolled his eyes and retracted his soldering iron, looking up.

"Yes, you old bolt-bucket? What is it this time?" Ironhide, as usual, did not deign to inform Ratchet of his injuries. Ratchet mentally ticked off another full minute of waiting, before giving up on his work entirely to drag Ironhide into the med-bay.

"Well, the hip seems as good as it can be, and your knees…good…" Ratchet went through his file of problem injuries for Ironhide, but everything was checking out fine. He absent-mindedly continued to jostle Ironhide onto a berth as he scanned his form for other injuries.

"Stop that! I'm not injured!" Ironhide tried, and failed, to shake off the medic's grip on the armor over his 'collarbone'.

"Quit fidgeting, hn!" Ratchet did not want to deal with Ironhide's needless resistance to medical help today. If the mech came to see him, he came to see him!

"Ratch, stop!" Ironhide twisted his upper body away with full force, and managed to dislodge Racthet's hands, "I didn't come for a fix-up."

"Then why the slag did you come, hmm? Love the smell of rusty metal and dried energon in the morning?" Ratchet, after the frustration of yet another fight to fix Ironhide, had little patience now that it turned out Ironhide wasn't there for repairs after all.

"No, I…" Ironhide trailed off, looking Ratchet in the eye briefly before letting his gaze wander around the room. Ratchet huffed his vents in impatience, completely unconvinced by Ironhide's statement that everything was fine.

"You'd better tell me what the frag you did this time before I decide to let you suffer with it for another week. Did you decide wrestling near cactuses was a good idea again? Or maybe this time you've managed to get another Barbie doll wedged up between your spark chamber and it's main fuel line?" Ratchet put one hand on his hip and gave Ironhide a glare that combined boredom with disgust.

"You know human medicine, right?" Ironhide spat out. He and Ratchet stared dumbly at one another for a moment before Ratchet collected himself from his brief surprise.

"I've learned a suitable amount of emergency care," Ratchet answered slowly, contemplating. "Primarily for injuries likely to be sustained by our human allies in the event they become inextricably caught up in another battle with the Decepticons: crush injuries, structural and joint damage, shrapnel, burns, concussive force…" At the pained look on Ironhide's face, Ratchet trailed off, getting flustered again. "While it's not pleasant to think about harm coming to our friends, that's my job, Ironhide, so don't you-"

"Whoa, Ratch." He held up his hands placatingly. Ratchet took a few moments to spin his fans and cool off. "That type of treatment was not what I wanted to know about."

"Well, what then?"

"I meant, hm, more like regular maintenance stuff. Virus patches, routine cleaning, the equivalents." Oh. In all his time on Earth, the idea of looking into regular maintenance procedures on humans had never occurred to him.

"No, I, haven't looked into that. There's a human medic in their wing of the base, though, if you're looking for particular information." Ratchet made to comm. the woman, but Ironhide shook his head no.

"Will said human medics hadn't been much help." Ah, no wonder he was getting curious, if it was over the Lennoxes. Ratchet had also found himself getting fond of the little family unit over the past few years, both through actual interaction and through stories (_grumps_, he mentally chuckled to himself) from Ironhide.

"What's the problem? When can he come in for a scan? I can't be much help without knowing what's not functioning properly."

"It's not the captain." Ironhide shifted a bit on his pedes, rotating his shoulder joints and cannons. "It's his mate." Ratchet watched Ironhide's face crease into a frown, betraying his worry. "She is…pregnant, and has been suffering from very bad 'morning sickness'."

Ratchet took a moment to look up 'pregnant' and 'morning sickness' on the human's internet. His spark fluttered when he found the relevant information, and for several moments he didn't know where to begin. Finally he asked,

"How long has she been pregnant? For that matter, how long has this constant purging of her tanks been an issue? The literature suggests it doesn't usually appear severely for at least a couple earth months into gestation."

Ironhide looked away and mumbled something into his armor. Ratchet narrowed his optics in suspicion.

"What was that?" He asked coolly.

"It's been about 4 months since she became pregnant. This illness has been troubling her for the past 6 weeks or so." Ratchet did a quick comparison with the information he'd downloaded from the internet. He was not pleased.

"A human under your care is almost halfway through it's gestation of progeny before you deign to inform me another young one is on the way? Not to mention the length of time you've allowed that female to suffer!"

"But Ratch, you just said-" Ironhide piped up, but Ratchet cut him off.

"Just because I do not currently have the expertise does not mean that I cannot acquire it. Besides that, you know that I would enjoy-" _helping with the creation of new life_ he didn't finish; or maybe _more time with your new family unit_; or even a more professional _learning about a creation process so different from our own, lost to us forever..._ Instead he paused, huffing, trying to compose himself. He managed instead to turn his hurt into righteous indignation.

"You know that learning as much about the humans as possible is vital to our ability to survive on this planet. Learning about the process through which they create new people is important and under my jurisdiction." Ratchet drew closer to Ironhide, grabbing his chest armor and shaking him for emphasis, "As Sarah Lennox has security clearance to interact with us, this is a rare opportunity to learn hands on, and we have already wasted precious time."

Ironhide, leaning far back against the berth, nodded stiffly in acknowledgement.

"Now, I'm going to begin acquiring what I need for a maintenance check for her. You better bring her in as soon as possible, or I'm going to set your fuel tank to purge once for every time hers has, do you understand that?" Again, a stiff nod.

"Good. Now get out of here. If I don't hear from you on the matter within two days, I'll be calling the Lennoxes myself!" Ironhide didn't quite dash out of the medbay, though his quick stride wasn't too far from one.

Ratchet stood still for a moment in the center of the cavernous Quonset hut, slowly rotating his fans, listening to the echoes of their revolutions bounce off the empty walls. Mentally shaking himself, Ratchet turned back to his workbench in the corner. Examining the components of his little project he sighed, sweeping his arm across the bench and dumping them into a container, adding it to the 'work in progress' pile that never seemed to shrink.

##################################

Fortunately, Ironhide did not have to suffer Ratchet's wrath too strongly this time, as both he and Sarah Lennox appeared in his medbay doorway not three days later.

"Come in, come in." Ratchet made come hither motions with his hands. "Set Mrs. Lennox down on this table here," indicating a table equipped with a human sized chair (a lazy-boy confiscated from the soldier's lounge), as well as a medical cot, a privacy screen, and a bucket.

"It's very kind of you to take a look at me," Mrs. Lennox said. "I…know it's not exactly your specialty. And please, call me Sarah." Ratchet took in her facial expression, and combining it with body temperature, pulse, and chemical readings deduced it to be a combination of embarrassment, exhaustion, and cautious optimism.

"Nonsense," he said gruffly.

Ironhide walked over to the table more smoothly than Ratchet had ever before observed, gently allowing Sarah to step off of his cupped hands.

"Would you prefer to lie down or sit? How was your nausea on the ride over?" He began conversationally, all the while watching her behavior.

"I think for now I'll sit," she said as she turned and settled into the lazy boy. "Today has been average I would say? I could barely eat anything for breakfast, and as Ironhide could tell you…" She drifted off, coloring. "Well, we had a couple of detours on the way over." At this she seemed to realize he was still in the room, looking at him a bit dazedly.

"If this old lugs presence makes you uncomfortable, I can kick him out. Ironhide, why don't-"

She cut him off. "No, it's all right. I guess I'm just not used to going to the doctor with others, let alone with a giant mech bodyguard. Ironhide, why don't you make yourself comfortable, though? You don't have to stand there 'on guard' the whole time." At this she sent Ironhide a rueful, familiar smile.

"I agree." Ratchet slapped his shoulder armor roughly. "See those stools in the corner? Grab them and come back. We'll all sit and relax a bit."

The 'check-up' proceeded fairly normally from there, if Sarah's cooperation and familiarity with his questions was anything to go by. At one point he needed to obtain a blood sample, and though she seemed wary of his large hand, she bravely allowed him to prick her palm with his smallest needle. Ironhide's internal fuel pressure had skyrocketed so high Ratchet'd been afraid he might blow a gasket, but his seals survived the brief stress.

"Well, I know you're reluctant to use medication, but I've read all the published literature on trials, and I believe at this point it would be more dangerous to continue with the nausea than to take the pills." Ratchet looked at her sternly. He could gently intimidate his patients as well, when the occasion called for it. But, she took the news well, slowly nodding her head.

"I'd resisted, but you're probably right." Then, surprisingly, she smiled brilliantly at him. "It's actually nice to know you've researched it all – you probably understand the risks better than any human doctor. Thank you for going to all the trouble."

Ratchet shrugged awkwardly, brushing her gratitude off. To say his patients were rarely so blatantly happy to have seen him would be an understatement.

"Now, I'm going to fax a prescription to the human medic on base, who will fill it for you. If you need refills, simply send the Captain down to pick it up. I want you to come back in another three days from now and tell me how the medication is helping or adversely affecting you – if necessary, we'll change to a different prescription." Here he turned to Ironhide, pointedly glaring at him.

"Did you receive that? Three days!" Ironhide mimicked a human rolling their eyes, making Sarah chuckle.

"Yeah yeah, Ratch, I heard ya." Ratchet glared at him for another few moments to emphasize his threat of pain should Ironhide fail in this task, then quickly relaxed and turned back to his patient.

"All right, I'm releasing you. Pick up your medication, and make sure to stop in at the commissary for lunch – as much as you can stomach! – before you leave the base." Ratchet heard Ironhide stand up behind him (Ratchet really needed to get the sand and other accumulates out of his gears), watching as Sarah gathered herself together and stand up before turning to return one of the stools to the corner of the Quonset hut.

Or, he would have, if Mrs. Lennox hadn't suddenly let out a distinctly surprised "Oh!".

Ratchet did an about face, his scanners surging online. "What is it? Are you in pain?"

Sarah was standing very still, staring off into space, with one hand flat against her stomach.

"Sarah?" Ironhide questioned tentatively, body stiff and crackling with energy on high alert.

Nothing in his scans showed any duress, but her strange behavior was worrying Ratchet. As he was about to insist she lie down for a more thorough investigation, she started laughing, and for the second time in one day turned a brilliant smile in his direction.

"I'm – wait," She paused, again staring off into space, this time with a pleased expression. "I'm quite fine, really. I think the baby just started kicking!"

Ratchet and Ironhide stared at her dumbfounded for a few moments, and she burst out laughing again, apparently at their expressions this time.

"Yes, this is the period when such behavior would be expected," Ratchet conceded. "Here, sit down and let me feel."

"Alright." Sarah sat on the cot this time, pulling up her shirt. "I'd forgotten about this part of being pregnant," she said jokingly. Ratchet raised an eyebrow at that. "The petting parties," she clarified. "Though what woman can say she's had giant robots feel up her tummy?" All this was said with a smile, and Ratchet took that as a sign that she truly didn't mind.

He carefully placed not the tip of his forefinger but the flat interior, where a human would have their distinctive fingerprint, against the slightly rounded skin of her abdomen. In the quiet that followed, the only sounds to be heard were Sarah's breathing – both Ratchet and Ironhide had stopped their cooling fans in anticipation. Then, he felt it! A quick flutter, pat pat pat…and a again a moment later. _Primus above_, thought Ratchet.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Sarah prompted at his expression.

"I have always found new life to be so," Ratchet replied evenly, "though experiencing it's first actions in such a manner is a new and enlightening experience," he conceded.

"Well? Come on over 'Hide, you can't let Ratchet here have all the fun." Sarah waved him over. Ironhide glanced at Ratchet warily. Ratchet jerked his head, shuffling aside to make room. Ironhide reluctantly filled in the gap, and with exaggerated care extended his finger to touch her.

Ratchet watched Sarah carefully for signs of discomfort, resting his hand on Ironhide's forearm…No need for a surprised Ironhide to jerk into action and accidentally knock her off the cot – while a less likely outcome than a nervous Ironhide perhaps thought, it was Ratchet's job to be paranoid. However, even after several moments, Ironhide gave no reaction.

"Well?" Sarah asked, still smiling brightly. "Don't play the stoic soldier – what do you think?"

"I think I want to feel it again." He replied after a pause. More waiting. Sarah's face made an interesting expression, but when Ratchet once again sense no change from Ironhide, a considerable feat considering the complexity of his scanners, a new worry blossomed in his processor. _Oh no_…

When Ironhide noticed her looking up at him expectantly, he seemed at a loss. Ratchet decided to intervene.

"Don't hold your breath waiting for this bucket of bolts to say anything on it." He released Ironhide's arm in favor of 'friendly' punching him. Ironhide frowned at this, but Sarah chuckled again, dropping her shirt and getting up again.

"Oh that's all right. I'm perfectly accustomed to tough guy version of emoting – I did marry a military man!" She looked around once more and brushed herself of imaginary dust. "Come on, big guy, let's go get that prescription. Then you can drop me off at the canteen – I'm starving!"

##################################

Fifteen minutes later, Ironhide returned to the medbay, sans human accompaniment.

"So you got my message? Good, come here." Ratchet pulled out a transfer cable from one of his wrists, waiting patiently for Ironhide to approach and open a port.

"I tinkered with the file a bit, should feel fairly natural. Here," Ratchet brusquely plugged his line into Ironhide's elbow, transferring over the information as quickly as possible and disconnecting again. Ratchet knew Ironhide disliked hard-line connections, and as another fairly private person couldn't find himself to disagree with that sentiment.

This time, Ratchet knew immediately when he had opened the sensory recording. His finger jerked mildly backwards in surprise, and he donned an unusually awed expression. And again, a shoulder twitch, as his jaw dropped further in amazement.

"How is it?" Ratchet asked. "Did I tweak the sensory parameter's properly? I haven't had a huge amount of experience transferring data to someone with such lower sensory thresholds. I tried to tone down as much noise that my digits would generate compared to yours as possible – of course I can't adjust it too much or the effect would be what you already experienced."

"It's perfect." He stopped staring off into space, and uncharacteristically reached out to grasp Ratchet's hand. "Thank you, Ratch'."

His spark swelling from the whole week of revelations, Ratchet felt as if he barely managed to say "Of course, old friend."

* * *

A/N: Yes, Ratchet definitely took over this section. And turned into a giant capital-W Woobie. It also took awhile to get to what was originally my plan for the chapter - Ratchet sort of co-opted things and I just followed along. Please review if anything was unclear! Or even if things were clear and I'm just awesome that way!


	6. V

It's been another ridiculously long wait for you guys, and I'm sorry. This chapter's been sitting partially finished on my computer for a while now, but as always, other responsibilities interfere with the drive and ability to sit down and write. This chapter didn't turn out much at all like I originally envisioned it, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.

I'm so grateful for all your faves, alerts, and feedback! It really makes my day. Anyways, on with the show!

* * *

**V.**

"_The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one."_ – J. Russell Lynes

Ironhide was surprised when not long after Lennox climbed out of his cab after a long day at the Autobot base, he promptly came walking back out the front door and heading his direction again. On alert from the unusual behavior, he quickly swung open his driver's door to let the Sergeant Major swing up into his cab.

"No worries, big guy," Will said to put him at ease. "Sarah didn't feel like cooking and has decided she needs something heart-stopping for dinner, so we're gonna go pick up a pizza from town. I've got the directions to the place she ordered from-"

"Name?"

"Big Pie Pizzeria."

"We will arrive in approximately 25 minutes." Will crumpled up the directions while rolling his eyes.

The trip into town was spent in companionable silence. After parking, Ironhide waited patiently in the while Lennox retrieved the pizza. He resisted popping his door open when Lennox returned with several boxes, struggling with the awkward angle caused by Ironhide's high height. Finnally, Will opened the door and placed the boxes on his seat.

"Let's see what exactly she ordered, eh?" First he opened a small box, "Salad…" quickly shutting it and putting it aside. Then he popped the lid on one of the pizza boxes.

And stared.

"What?" Ironhide gruffly, but quietly, asked after a moment.

"It's started," Will said with dismay. Ironhide rumbled his engine as if to say, 'and?'. "Weird cravings…Please tell me the other one is more normal than pineapple and anchovies." He closed the first pizza box, lifted it and peeked into the other one. "Well, this is almost normal. At least spinach, mushroom, and ham will be edible."

If he could have, Ironhide would have rolled his optics. _Humans can be so picky and arbitrary about what they ingest_…He had little tolerance for choosiness if the fuel source wasn't poisonous, but like the other Autobots had come to realize that humans simply would not be practical about food.

"Just get in," he practically growled. Will chuckled.

"Yeah, you wanna stretch out already, I get it." He came around to the other side of the big Topkick and climbed in. However, after a few minutes negotiating the parking lot and getting back on the highway, he spoke up again. "Just warning you, cravings aren't just about wanting to eat particularly weird things – they're about eating them _right now_." He looked pointedly at the dashboard.

"Okay," Ironhide said flatly. _Primus_…

* * *

"Psst. Hey, big guy." Ironhide felt hands ghosting over his driver side door as he abruptly on-lined. He took a moment to orient himself in the pre-dawn haze. The chill of the November weather always made coming out of recharge a sluggish process, and today was no exception. _What in Primus' name is she doin' up and about at this hour_…

"Ironhide, are you, uh, awake?" Sarah stage whispered again while rapping a knuckle on his window.

"Why aren't you recharging?" Ironhide asked, turning on some of his interior lights to see her better. Sarah winced and shielded her eyes. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her…

"I woke up a while ago and haven't been able to fall asleep. You wouldn't mind doing me a favor before you drop Will off, would you?" She wrapped her arms around herself, and Ironhide belatedly realized she must be fairly cold, in nothing but silk pajamas and a bathrobe. He turned over his engine and popped open the door to let her in.

"Thanks." She said, as she climbed (somewhat less gracefully than usual due to her new paunch, he noted) up into the seat, pulling in her bathrobe behind her before shutting the door. "Brrr, you're even cold! I thought you guys didn't get cold like normal cars? Getting old, eh?"

Choosing to ignore the final comment, Ironhide gruffly asked, "Whattya want?" In the meantime, he turned his cooling system down and redirected some fans to artificially heat his interior.

"Just to the gas station down the highway."

"I don't take gas."

"Not for…" Sarah waved a hand dismissively. "I can't sleep because I've been craving some junk food. The little convenience store at the station should have some. I know it's early, but will you please do me a favor and take me there?"

"Didn't refuel properly before recharging? Or do you just not want Will to see you eating 'bad' food?" Ironhide teased, but he started his engine and started rolling down the gravel driveway. Sarah swatted his dashboard playfully.

Ten minutes later, they pulled in front of the 24-hour convenience store attached to the gas station. Sarah practically jumped out of the car, Ironhide wincing at her clumsy landing on slippered feet, before briskly walking in through the automatic door. Ironhide lazily watched her head down one 'aisle', curious. He couldn't see anything below her shoulders, but her head moved slowly back and forth, apparently considering her options. The she leaned forward for a few moments, before walking awkwardly (still leaning over) up to the register. As she came completely into view again, he realized why she was leaning over: she was holding her robe out in front of her to carry her purchases.

_Why wouldn't she just hold the rusted things with her servos?_ Ironhide thought briefly, but Sarah shortly answered his musing when she proceeded to awkwardly dump what could only be the store's entire supply of…something onto the counter in front of the clerk. The teenage boy stared at her blankly for a moment then swiped one of the confections, and proceeded to count the rest. Sarah paid, and returned with her cargo (this time in a plastic bag) to once again heave herself into Ironhide.

At first she placed the bag into his passenger seat, but when the constant tapping on his steering began to irritate him, and he noticed her flicking glances at the bag instead of paying attention to the road, he finally just barked "Just take one already!"

"Are you sure? You don't mind me eating in here?" She protested, but she was already rustling around in the bag, not even pretending to pay attention to the road any longer.

"Just…try not to get a bunch of crumbs everywhere." The few times Annabelle had begged to let her eat while seated inside of him had been more than enough for him to be wary of food crumbs, but he knew that adult humans were more dexterous than children. An image of Sam tripping flat on his face came unbidden into his mind..._Well, usually_.

Sarah eagerly ripped open the packaging of one and bit into it. "Mmmmm…I'ff been dyin' to eat one of dese horrib' frui' pies for days…they're so bad for you, but they taste so good!" She said, part of it obscured by pie before she swallowed. She proceeded to eat the entire treat on the way home, and was finishing licking her fingers right as he pulled into the driveway.

"Hey Ironhide?" Sarah asked as he turned his lights down. Ironhide didn't want to wake the occupants of the house unnecessarily, and there was now enough hazy light for a human to navigate the yard by, let alone an Autobot. He grumbled his engine a bit. Knowing that for the assenting grunt he was imitating, Sarah continued, "Thanks for the short notice drive, I, uh, I owe you one."

Ironhide just popped his door open and said, "Don't worry about it." Sarah climbed out, dragging her bag of unhealthy fruit pies with her. She closed his door gently, with a quiet click. She then paused a moment, and proceed to pat him twice, before turning and shuffling back inside the house. _Hopefully to go back into recharge_, Ironhide thought. He watched her climb up the steps, cross the porch, and just a quietly and gently ease her way inside the front door. Then he began powering down his peripheral systems, preparing to enter recharge himself.

Unfortunately, just moments after Sarah entered the house, he heard murmuring coming through the front door. He roused himself, thinking _Now what?_ William came out the front door, and Ironhide, checking his chronometer, realized that it was time for them to begin the drive to HQ. He shifted on his tires and began warming his interior again, resigning himself to the shortened recharge cycle.


	7. VI

A/N:Back from the dead! I swear on Batman's parents' graves, this thing will get finished. I actually started this chapter months ago, but got side-tracked by a different fic. Since that one's basically complete, I may begin to upload it here over the next few weeks. Anyways, sorry for the long wait, faithful readers! This chap's in a bit of a different format, but I hope you enjoy it, and RL and the muses permitting the next chapter should come out by, oh...the end of the year XD

* * *

**VI.**

_Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. _ ~ Edith Sitwell

"Hide Hide Hide!"

"Bella, don't run outside in that!"

The little one came shrieking out of the house. Ironhide turned from his tinkering to focus his attention on her, gallivanting down the porch.

"Look!" She twirled around - dolled up in an almost black hooded one-piece. Some pink marred her nose and cheeks, and fine filaments whisked merrily across her face as she turned.

"I'm a mousy! Watch my ballet - like it's s'posed to be." She assumed the familiar dance position, arms curled under her chest, bent over slightly, and tip-toed around his leg.

"Good job. Keep practicing."

##################################

Will walked across the tarmac towards where Ironhide, in silent conversation with Prime, waited for him.

"Ready for some time without bureaucrats breathin' down your necks about 'non-existent' threats?" He asked as Ironhide crouched down to transform, Optimus following suit. The tell-tale sound of transformations started, grinding…

"Fraggit!" growled Ironhide. Ironhide reversed the sequence, metal making a horrible screeching, but he stopped that partway as well. Prime had in this time finished and quickly returned to bi-pedal form.

"Difficulties, old friend?" Mild with quiet humor.

"Old? More like cold and dried out joints." Optimus gave Lennox a wink. "Winter weather…."

##################################

"Alright, let's do this thing." Will had already carted out the necessary supplies under the watchful eye of his wife.

"I wanna help decorate up high this year!" Sarah shifted her weight, gave a pointed look over. "I wanna help with your job, cause what if you wobble like reachin' for the peanut butter?" This time, Will raised his eyebrow in his wife's direction.

"You can decorate up high – Ah! But if I think you're not careful…"

"Eeee!" Annabelle immediately leaped onto Ironhide's waiting hand. "Let's start near the top!" Obliging, his hand swooped her up the old pine.

##################################

"How're the joints?"

"Fine."

"With this weather? I don't believe you." Sometimes Ironhide wondered why he was asked, or why he bothered to answer. Habit, he supposed, as Ratchet inspected and lubricated and generally fussed. Optimus just chuckled.

"You're next, Prime, so don't get cocky." The chuckling stopped.

Later, after what Ratchet finished his 'common sense maintenance', what Ironhide thought of as 'indignity', he'd swiftly declared his day'd been long enough before promptly entering vehicle mode and recharge.

Ironhide gently wobbled the Hummer back and forth, checking he was out.

"We need to get _him_ a sparkling to fuss over."

##################################

Will padded outside with his precious cargo.

"Hey guys, you awake?" A quiet engine rumble answered back.

"Doctor Ratchet, I don't feel good…" Came a muffled little whine. Will shifted the blanket cocoon to let his daughter peek out. Ratchet unfolded and squat down. 'Just play along' Will mouthed.

"What's wrong?"

"Tummy hurts. And I'm hot and shivery." She gave a miserable little frown. Will rubbed her back.

Ratchet contorted, pulled out a tiny bottle. "You eat one of these, hear?" Bella, uncharacteristically, nodded without protest. "I also prescribe juice and sleep."

"Thank you Doctor Ratchet." A quiet mumble.

"Welcome."

##################################

"I'm sorry Mommy."

"It's ok honey, It's not your fault." Annabelle still looked pretty upset. "Why don't you help daddy make lunch, ok? I'd like some crackers with my soup."

"Okay." Annabelle plodded off to the kitchen. Sarah sighed, and tried to get comfortable under the mound of blankets, shivering despite.

"Ratchet, _please_ tell me you can magically cut this misery short." She grumbled, turning her head to the window.

"While having the flu virus at this stage presents risks, I'm not going to overdose you on medication, either." He replied back smoothly, though he was frowning. Sarah just groaned.

##################################

"Grrr." A rock plunked against the side of the barn.

"I don't think the barn appreciates that," Optimus said gently, from the other side. Annabelle walked around and flopped down next to him. As he watched, her frustration morphed into despair.

"Op'imus, I can't think of anything to give the baby for Christmas."

"A serious matter," he said gravely. They sat in silence for some moments. Then,

"What do Cybert'onians give babies?" Somewhere, he heard an engine backfire.

"We care for and protect them."

"Ok. I swear to take care of 'em and protect 'em."

"That is a worthy gift."

##################################

Will exited the house, quickly closing the door, leaning on the porch railing. Ironhide and Ratchet glanced down, before returning to silent conversation. Optimus' gaze remained locked on the sky.

"Look at those stars, huh?" Will said. He cocked his chin up. "Can you see Cybertron from here?"

"Cybertron is a planet, not a star," replied Optimus. "But no." Will shivered in the cold.

"Maybe with a telescope?" Optimus nodded emptily.

"The night is long – you should return inside."

"Solstice, yeah," a puff of breath into the dark, "but I always remember: the night only gets shorter from here."

##################################

Squeals from the house awoke the Autobots. Ratchet was the first to shake out of vehicle mode and peer inside. The quantity of gifts under the tree had increased substantially since the previous evening, and Annabelle kneeled in her nightclothes nearby, eyes wide with delight.

Sarah insisted on breakfast first (_chocolate chips_, Ratchet tsked). Annabelle smiled throughout, gasping as the final present was revealed.

"A bicycle?"

"Yup. The 'bots got it all set up for you in the garage." Annabelle launched into more shrieks of delight and thanks. Ratchet turned to the adults in confusion. Will smiled – Sarah winked.

##################################

"You were right, this view is excellent," Sarah commented. She pet Bella's hair, the little girl fast asleep across their laps. Ironide briefly flared his engine, then purposefully overheated his seats.

Around them, Bumblebee with Sam and Mikaela, as well as Ratchet and Optimus, also enjoyed the New Years fireworks display over the city of Tranquility.

"_Ok, the countdown starts any minute now."_

"_You guys really oughta count!"_ Came Sam and Mikaela's voices through the radio.

"Ready, 'Hide?" Ironhide grunted at Will's comment. Sarah grunted at a kick.

"10, 9, 8, 7…"

"Happy New Years!" the humans all crowed together.


	8. VII

A/N: Well, it seems I _have_ made my 'next chapter before the end of the year' estimation! With only a couple more chapters to go, I suspect I'll be done sometime December 2011!

* * *

**VII.**

_A ship under sail and a big-bellied woman, are the handsomest two things that can be seen common._ ~ Benjamin Franklin

"No problems getting Annabelle tucked in?" Sarah asked from the bath.

"Nah, conked out midway through 'The Magic Pebble'," Will replied. He sat on the bed and began working his socks off. Was tonight going to be cold enough to warrant a shirt, or would his sweats be enough? At the click of a light switch, he looked up to the not unappealing sight of his wife walking out of the bathroom.

Despite it being the middle of January, the extra weight was causing his wife to frequently feel overheated, and she'd opted to wear thin nightgowns under the covers. Delightfully thin nightgowns that became a little less decent when shortened by the rise of her seven-month-pregnant belly, and considerably less decent around the bust. _God, my wife is the most beautiful woman in the universe._

Will smirked at her. "Hey, honey,"

"Hmm?" She answered distractedly, fussing with the alarm and her mystery on the nightstand. Will leaned over the bed to gently grab her arms from behind and nibble her neck.

"What do you say," he said lightly, "we take the open evening to close the curtains?" Constant surveillance by advanced robotic aliens made privacy something of a lost commodity, but also for great euphemisms.

"Uuuuuugh," Sarah let out a groan, shrugging him away. "Will, I am fat as a cow."

"No you're not," he protested futilely.

"I'm a whale. I've got a little _Optimus Prime_ in here who thinks it's a good idea to use those legs against my insides."

"Well, I think I'd have some serious questions if you really did give birth to a little Optimus," Will said wryly. "But right now I'm oblivious to any affair with the robot Gandhi, soooo…" He tried to give her suggestive look. And got a paperback mystery to the face.

##################################

"Well you're in a foul mood today," commented Ratchet dryly after Ironhide glumly sat himself down at the table with some energon. Ironhide glowered at the medic, but few could win a glowering contest against Ratchet. Moments later he gave up, instead taking a swig of his rare drink. Ratchet twitched a brow, then went back to reading his datapad, sipping occasionally, and just radiating the smugness of a mech who knows he can hold out longer than you.

"I've been listening to Will's complaints about Sarah's mood for almost a week now. Good to get away for a couple hours," Ironhide finally supplied. Ratchet set down the datapad.

"And?"

"What?" Ratchet sent him a look that clearly transmitted _do not play this game with me_.

"What about her mood?" Ironhide heaved his vents and shook his head.

"How to put it." He contemplated it a few moments, before Ratchet started tapping the datapad against the tabletop in impatience. "She refuses to mate with him," Ratchet snorted, "'cause she doesn't like the way the baby gettin' bigger changes her body," Ironhide shrugged, "I dunno. He says he's tellin' her he don't mind and she ain't listenin'."

The two sat in silence at the table for several moments, Ratchet contemplating the issue as Ironhide worked at finishing his barrel of fuel.

"On the one hand, it would certainly be easy enough to _prove_ that she's still attractive – on the other, I don't know if she or the Major would appreciate the steps necessary to collect the data for that. Hmmm…"

"I just wish he would stop complaining to me about it! There must be _somebody_ out there with better knowledge of what's goin' on in her head – Pit, even Mikaela probly's got a better idea than me." Ironhide groused into his drink. Ratchet snapped his fingers and gave the black mech a friendly swat.

"Of course, washers for chips, why didn't I think of that? I'll ask her for advice during her shift tomorrow. Of course," Ratchet backtracked diplomatically, "I don't have to if you don't think she should know."

"Please," snorted Ironhide. "Though maybe not the part about the mating. You know how they get."

##################################

Mikaela set down the welder gingerly, then rested her hands on her hips. "You know, Ratch, I know just what to do."

##################################

"There's really no need."

"Dear, we insist. Oh, it will be _so_ much fun!"

"I've got plenty of stuff from my last pregnancy!"

"I'm sure dear. So, we'll come by to pick you up? Saturday at noon? Oh, and little Annie can come along!"

"It's – I really don't - "

"Alright, see you then! Bye dear, bye." Sarah heard the click of the phone setting down on the other end. What was Mrs. Witwicky up to? But then, what was she _ever_ up to.

And so, the next Saturday, having wrestled Annabelle into appropriate coats and socks and scarves – no you can't wear the Superman T-Shirt, it's too cold out – Sarah and her daughter were picked up at precisely 11:59 by one Judy Witwicky and Mikaela Banes for, quote, 'a baby bump shopping bonanza'.

The drive to the closest suburban shopping center was actually quite pleasant. Mikaela kept Annabelle entertained in the backseat with a number of word and memory games, and Judy chattered away about how her own baby Sam was about to graduate in the spring and they just grow up so fast you'd better appreciate your babies while you can –

"Oh, of course. Hmm, yeah, uhuh," Some people found Judy's conversation style stifling, but Sarah sometimes found it relaxing to not have to worry about maintaining her own half of a conversation.

"Ohp! And here we are! There are going to be some _fantastic_ sales today ladies! I just love the after-holidays specials."

"So, where should we hit first?" Mikaela asked once they'd stepped inside the doors, out of the chill.

"Oooh, I bet _Sweet Buns_ has some cute tops for you!" Judy said, studying the directory.

"I've never heard of it," said Sarah.

"It specializes in maternity wear – I tell ya, I wish there was cute stuff like that when _I_ was your age. Here, I think it's downstairs thataway." Sarah shrugged, waved Annabelle over to take hands, and the group made their way over.

The afternoon was surprisingly pleasant. While the Lennox wife had never considered herself a big shopper, Judy was unendingly enthusiastic about anything she tried on. Mikaela was a good balance for her never-wrong attitude, but made her critiques with a dry sarcasm that softened the blow. Of course, a six year-old can only be contained in a single store for so long, so Mikaela and Annabelle made several trips separate from the elder ladies. The result was a fun couple of hours sprucing up her day to day wardrobe (and, per a Judy and Sarah only trip, her night to night wardrobe).

"I never would have thought to do this, so, thanks, Judy," Sarah said as they all loaded back into the car.

"Oh, don't thank me. Mikaela heard you were feeling down and called me up and I thought of course! Good to see my son's grabbed a girl with looks and brains. But it was fun, wasn't it?"

Sarah frowned into the rearview mirror, studying Mikeala in the backseat intently.

"Mikaela, you heard I was feeling down? From who?" Mikeala turned her gaze from the countryside towards the front seat. She shrugged, nonchalant.

"You know, Ratchet said he'd heard you might need a pick-me-up. He thought I'd have a better idea of how to go about it than him."

"And where did _Ratchet_ get this idea?"

"I dunno. Ironhide?" Suddenly, the train of transmission crystallized in her mind.

"And Ironhide was hearing stuff from Will. What has he been saying about me I wonder?" Judy laughed.

"Probably that you're grumpy you've lost that great figure from before you were pregnant!" She kept giggling, even as Sarah and Mikaela's faces bloomed red and Mikaela shot her a glare that could strip paint. Judy flicked a hand towards her passengers. "What, _I'd_ be missing it. Of course, you'll probably get it back in no time, so I wouldn't worry about it." Blushes fading, the other women rolled their eyes to each other.

"We don't know what those two were saying," Mikaela started, "not that it really matters. The important thing is," she continued, pausing with a wicked smirk on her face, "to get the two of 'em back. Hmmm," she struck an exaggerated thinking pose, tapping a finger to her chin, "what _should_ I tell Ratchet about Will's recent, disturbing behavior?"


	9. VIII

A/N: Yes! One step closer to being done! Thank you **Chaosmaiden07** and **Minirowan** for your reviews of the last chapter. Sorry the wait was so long!

* * *

**VIII. **

_Children are one third of our population and all of our future._ - Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

"_All right, commin' in hot! 3 o'clock!"_ crackled Epp's voice over the radio. The great comets of the arriving protoforms streaked across the pre-dawn sky, and moments later crashed down into hard desert earth. Ironhide merely turned his head to follow their landing with his optics, but Ratchet was forced to duck as a shower of superheated rock and melted sand rained down on his armor.

Ironhide strode over to the closest crater, smirking to himself at the sound of the medic's grumbles and a great rattle of the armor. This one was smaller, but it looked like the mech hadn't calculated the trajectory quite right, and had skimmed a long way across the ground before finally stopping. The weapon's specialist sent a ping, and when he received an ident code back, merely stood back and waited. The mech unfolded, coming to rest on hands and knees, and then frantically rolled out of the still smoldering crash site.

"Ow ow ow ow ow…"

"C'mon, kid," Ironhide said in Cybertronian, grabbing an arm and lifting him out of the dirt, "let's let the doc check you out."

About half an hour later, just as the sky was turning pink, Ratchet finished up his quick checks on the group to make sure they were fit to be transported back to their base of operations. One newcomer was eyeing Bumblebee with disdain, his expression clearly conveying his thoughts. Fortunately, Magnus beat him to it.

"Springer, if none of the vehicles forms of Prime's team are appropriate, you will simply have to ride a trailer until we arrive back at the base. We can not risk compromising the cover that they have worked so hard to maintain." The heavy frontliner growled his engine, but stomped over to the trailers brought along by the Optimus in case of injury.

##################################

Ultra Magnus, Springer, Perceptor, Hot Rod, Bluestreak, Ironhide had radioed back to the base. Will knew he would have to learn them all over again after they really settled in and picked alternate forms, but he rolled the names around his mouth anyways. He and his team had become close to the original four Autobots, and these were the first new additions in five years. It was strange to think that despite the fact that they'd headed towards Earth the moment Perceptor had picked up the degraded call from Prime, they'd still taken almost four Earth years to arrive. He wondered how old his second child would be before more Autobots heard the call.

##################################

Sarah groaned as she settled herself into a lawnchair, then quickly put her hands back into her jacket pockets. Despite the cool February weather, the fact of the matter was that the Autobots simply could not come inside most warm buildings. Aw, well, today was the warmest weather of the week anyways.

In celebration of the arrival of several new Autobots, a welcoming party was swiftly arranged and executed. At the moment, the welcoming committee was waiting quietly inside the main operations and conference center of the base, the largest available space not outside. While not a surprise party, the gathered humans were still excited to meet the new Autobots, and Sarah hoped the feelings were mutual. If nothing else, it would be nice for this three week fiasco to settle down now that they were finally on the ground.

Annabelle had long since fallen asleep in a dark corner, the poor dear, but Sarah thought she might be shaken awake when the big moment arrived. And, judging by the arm waving and rushing about on the gantry, that moment was just about now.

Moments later, the caravan of Autobots pulled up outside, Optimus quickly unhitching his trailer to transform. The others followed suit, their armor flashing in the sunrise. Sarah had to squint into the glare of the rising sun, trying to pick out individuals in the twisting silhouettes.

"Welcome to Earth!" the assembled humans shouted, as the group of newcomers stood warily in the entranceway. Sarah focused on their expressions as best she could, as the humans on the gantry released several ties, unfurling on a large banner proclaiming "Welcome" in a dozen human languages, as well as Cybertronian.

"Our human allies have been almost as anxious to meet you as we have been to reunite," Optimus' deep voice said, chuckling. There was a heavy, tense pause. Optimus' lookalike drew back his battle mask hesitantly, and the human delegation held it's breath reverently.

"Aii! Hide's back!" Except, of course, for Annabelle. Sarah gripped the cold metal arm of the chair, her eyes widened in alarm as her little girl sprinted towards the familiar and unfamiliar Autobots alike. But she needn't have worried.

Ironhide crouched down, and a couple of the new ones did in imitation, as the little human approached.

"What's your name? You're tall! You're almost as tall as Optimus!" Sarah heard the echoes of her daughter's enthusiastic greetings. But she didn't have to strain to see the gentle smile that graced the new giant's face.

"My name is Ultra Magnus, and I assure you, I am em_taller_/em than Optimus." This broke the tension, as the humans and Autobots together laughed.

Shortly thereafter, in front of the human refreshments table, Sarah found herself, her husband, and her now tightly watched daughter being introduced to the em_smallest_/em Autobot she'd met. Granted, he still looked comically oversized standing next to the breakfast buffet.

"Ratchet informed that your unusual protrusion is in fact due to the gestation of offspring!" Sarah glanced at her husband, who merely rolled his eyes, shrugged, and continued to cream cheese a bagel for their first born progeny.

"Yes, I'm due in about a month," Sarah said diplomatically, one hand holding her decaf tea and the other resting on the baby bump. The baby chose that moment to deliver a kick, and the maroon Autobot nearly jumped back in surprise. Sarah jerked her head back, startled by his reaction, and they spent a moment awkwardly staring at one another.

"The protoform gesticulated!"

"You…saw that?" Sarah asked dumbfoundedly. Once again she glanced over her head towards her husband, only to see him making a swift retreat down the table, Annabelle in tow. em_Coward_/em. She should have known. He acted exactly the same whenever Ratchet started going off.

"I would not describe my observation as 'seeing', in that it did not involve information on the electromagnetic spectrum of light," Perceptor refuted. Sarah blinked.

"Ah," she said politely. They stared at each other for another moment. em_I'm gonna regret this,/_em, Sarah thought to herself. "Would you like to feel?"

When they had first been introduced, she'd thought Perceptor's optics seemed unusually large, especially considering his smaller than average head. It made him rather cute, she'd thought.

em_Now_/em his optics were large.

##################################

"You really have come to care about them, haven't you?" Ultra Magnus asked. Ironhide grunted. The two continued to watch as Perceptor bent down, the tips of two long, spindly fingers resting Sarah's large belly.

"Is it true, Ironhide?" Ultra Magnus asked quietly, switching back to Cybertronian. The weapon's specialist eyed him strangely.

"Is what true?" he replied in kind.

"That…that the Allspark is lost to us?" Ultra Magnus choked out. Ironhide sighed, and touched the great commander's arm.

"I think there's somethin' Optimus oughtta show ya."

##################################

"I'm sorry, old friend," Ironhide overheard waft out of the room, leaned against the cool cement wall of their underground facilities. Slowly carved out underground by Optimus, Ratchet, and some by himself, for the moment they served one purpose: guarding the remaining fragment of the Allspark.

A sigh, and a clink of metal on metal. "Don't blame yourself, Optimus. I understand why you thought it was necessary." Magnus paused, and Ironhide could clearly imagine the wearied expression gracing his faceplates. "When we first received your message, we couldn't comprehend how the Allspark could be destroyed, and rejected it as a ploy against the Decepticons. But, four years is a long time to listen to your voice explain the situation. I suppose time will tell if this shard can ever truly rekindle our race."

"What do we have, but hope and time?" Optimus replied.


	10. IX

A/N: I've kept you all waiting for over a year...and here it is. The final chapter. Not the strongest, but the work is done.

* * *

**IX.**

"_I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be"_ – Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

The bag was packed. The babysitters (Mikaela and Sam) were on call. The higher-ups were prepared for Will's sudden departure and paternity leave.

The only thing left to do was wait.

##################################

Ironhide watched as Sarah directed Annabelle in the garden. Her current girth prevented her from kneeling down and standing up, but fortunately the little girl was enthusiastic about digging in the earth and planting the little bulbs and seeds. His sensors were on high alert and he'd been suppressing shifting to a higher gear the whole day.

As the emergence of their offspring approached, Will had become increasingly agitated. Consequently, Ironhide had become increasingly agitated.

Sarah was serene.

Sarah shifted on her feet, putting a hand to her back. Ironhide felt his cables tensing as she held in a breath and winced. Then she heaved out a sigh, shifting her weight again. Annabelle chirruped,

"All done!"

"All right sweety, why don't we go in and wash hands. Do you want a snack?"

False alarm.

##################################

"Will?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Can you send Ironhide home to pick me up?"

"Oh my– is it time?" Sarah sighed on the other end.

"Can you just do it?"

Ironhide ground his denta together, waiting outside the human hospital on base. Will and Sarah walked out together, Will carrying the bag and Sarah rolling her eyes.

False alarm.

##################################

Sarah slowly rolled over, kicking at the pillow between her legs. She'd been plagued by Brackston Hicks contractions periodically for weeks, and last week's false labor had been very frustrating. But, she'd had numerous mistaken trips to the hospital before Annie, so she knew she might be in for a few more before baby finally decided to meet the world.

Giving up on sleeping for the moment (and desperately needing to pee), Sarah pulled herself out of bed and waddled to the bathroom. Deciding to get some fresh air, she went to the kitchen for a glass of water before waddling out onto the porch.

The weather had been comfortable that spring, and a robe was enough for her to feel comfortable sitting outside. She sipped her water and absently rubbed her side, as if that could relieve the tension there.

"Are you in labour?" Sarah almost dropped her glass as Ironhide's voice broke the early morning quiet. Then her sleep deprived brain registered his question, and fortunately it had become so routine she could respond without a really being awake.

"I don't think the baby is coming just yet," She said. A beat, and then Sarah heard the hiss of depressurization that characterized a bot relaxing (well, taking it down a notch, in Ironhide's case). She couldn't make out his expression in the dim light, but she imagined the consternation that had been near constant since her trip to the base hospital and suppressed a small chuckle.

"Ya just have to be patient. Geez, how long does it take for a Cybertronian to be, uh," she fumbled a bit, "born?"

Ironhide didn't respond for several moments, and Sarah could have kicked herself when the part of her brain that stored "bot stuff" reminded her of the Allspark's destruction and what it meant.

"It is very different," he said finally.

"I'm sure," she replied, this time more diplomatically.

"But...There is a long build process, like in humans, and then the Allspark kindles a spark into the frame. That is when they are alive. I never saw it, o' course. But Optimus has."

Sarah digested that speech, sipping at her water to keep from having to respond right away.

"Why Optimus? What about, say, Ratchet?"

"Optimus is the Prime," Ironhide said with the tone that it should explain everything. "Ratchet...I think he's probably overseen a few."

Sarah thought back to when Annanelle had been born. "It's so wonderful, the first time they open their little eyes and look up at you...I was so frightened for her, and for Will, when Annie was born. But at the same time I knew I would love her and he would love her and protect her as best we could, as long as we lived."

Ironhide let out a long, low hum.

"If it hasn't been clear," he started slowly, "I will watch over your children as long as _I_live to do so - I swear it."

Sarah fought back her tears at that plain declaration. "That means a lot to us, Ironhide. More than I can say."

##################################

In the end he hadn't had to wait that much longer, as Sarah's water broke just before lunch. Arrangements were made for Annabelle's pick up from school, the overnight bag was loaded, and (after placing a ratty towel down on his seat) Sarah climbed in behind the wheel to be driven to the base hospital.

Ironhide and Ratchet, to both their frustrations, could not actually enter the hospital. Fortunately for them, Will or a nurse was willing to hold a camera for most of the labor.

When a little after eleven PM Will finally brought the new Lennox out to be introduced, Ironhide silently renewed his promise. _Till all are one._

* * *

A/N: That's all folks! I'm glad to be able to draw this story to a close. I don't have the same time or energy for fic as I had in the past, but now I have one less piece of unfinished business. I hope the final chapter, if not amazing, was satisfactory.


End file.
